E.—lc

34

The Board have decided* that " all girls over eleven years of age, without regard to standard, and all euitable girls in Standard IV. and upwards who are ten years of age, shall be required in each year to attend . . . eleven lessons in laundry-work at one of the laundry centres." Prizes are given to girls from Board schools who have made the eleven attendances within the course, nine of which must be attendances for which regular and punctual marks have been given. The prizes are either a book on laundry-work or some useful utensil. Nine thousand three hundred and eighty-seven prizes were awarded during the year under review. \ The Education Department require that a girl shall attend not less than twenty hours during the school year at a laundry class of not more than fourteen scholars. For the week ended 20th March, 1896, there were 5,082 children in the schools of the Board on the roll for instruction in laundry-work, with 4,750 in actual attendance. Laundry centres are, as a rule, open daily (Saturdays excepted) from 9 to 12 in the morning, and from 2to 430 in the afternoon. Children from non-Board schools are permitted to attend the laundry centres for instruction —when room can be found for them without displacing any of the scholars of the Board—upon payment of a fee of 2s. for each girl entered for the course of eleven lessons, one lesson being taken each week. The parents are encouraged to allow their girls to bring suitable garments from their homes for laundry purposes; but nothing may be brought from a house where an infectious disease has existed at any time during the previous six months, and no bed- or body-linen may be brought at any time. The Education Department allow a grant at the rate of 2s. per head on account of those children in the Fourth or any higher Standard who have satisfied the requirements to which reference has already been made. The following figures give the number of children who have annually completed a course of instruction during the years ended at Lady-day, 1892-96: — 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 678 3,120 5,898 8,794 12,262 Manual Training in Woodwork. —The instruction is given on the central system by special and separate teachers. Two lessons a day are given, one from 9 to 12 in the morning, and the other from 2to 4.30 in the afternoon; one lesson a week being given to each contingent of boys. A single centre in which there is accommodation for twenty boys will provide for the instruction of two hundred boys a week. A double centre, accommodating forty boys, is conducted by an instructor and an assistant instructor, and provides accommodation for four hundred boys a week. In a few centres an experiment is being tried of employing a woodwork pupil-teacher. Down to Lady-day, 1896, instruction in woodwork had been commenced on this plan at 104 centres, of which 49 are double centres. Before the adoption of the centre system instruction in this subject was formerly given by an ordinary teacher of the school. The number of schools at which the instruction was still given on this plan was three. In order to comply with the regulation of the Science and Art Department that for every child in the school twenty hours in each week, irrespective of the time assigned to woodwork, should be given to the ordinary subjects of instruction, the Board decided that, in those schools from which boys attended a woodwork centre, the registers should be closed at 9.45 a.m. instead of at 9.55 a.m. The Science and Art Department allow a grant at the rate of 2d. a lesson, with the addition of 20 per cent, if the instruction is excellent, provided (a) that the scholar has been placed in the Fifth or higher Standard of the Education code, (b) that he has received manual instruction for at least two hours a week for not less than fifteen weeks during the period for which grant is claimed, and while he was a scholar of the elementary day school attending that school with reasonable regularity ; and (c) that a special register of attendance is kept, and supervised by the managers of the school. The grant may be reduced or wholly withheld, at the discretion of the department, if it appears that the workshop or plant is insufficient or that the instruction is not good. Manual Training in Paper Work, Cardboard Work, Colour Work, and Clay Work. — The Board, on the 19th July, 1888, adopted the following resolution : — " That the methods of kindergarten teaching in infants' schools be developed for senior scholars throughout the standards in schools, so as to supply a graduated course of manual training in connection with science and object lessons, but not so as to include teaching the practice of any trade or industry; and that the method of kindergarten in the senior schools be tried at first in a few special schools throughout London." As a result of this resolution, a scheme of manual training— e.g., paper work, cardboard work, colour work, clay work, and woodwork—was submitted by one of the Board Inspectors ; and its introduction into suitable schools, where the teachers were favourable to the subject, at the rate of from six to ten schools a month, was approved. With the object of enabling teachers to become fully acquainted with the scheme, courses of instruction in paper work, cardboard work, colour work, and clay work have from time to time been held since October, 1889, and have been largely attended by head- and by assistant-teachers. A list is kept of the teachers qualified to give instruction in the various branches of manual training. Down to March, 1896, instruction in these branches of manual training had been introduced into about five hundred departments.

* Since the 25th March, 1896, it has been decided that all girls in Standard VI. and upwards shall be required to attend twelve lessons in laundry-work, and that those girls who attend a course of instruction whilst in Standard VI. are not required to attend a further course of instruction in this subject. f These rules have been modified since the 25th March, 1890.

Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not given ; printing (1,650 copies), £22 6s.

Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB97.

Price Is.]